(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a safety helmet, and in particular to a safety helmet having a battery-powered light on the rear of the helmet to identify the location of the wearer.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Safety helmets are mandatory for use in a variety of work activities where there is a risk that objects may fall onto the wearer""s head, or where the wearer may accidentally strike his or her head against a stationary object. Generally, these helmets are comprised of a molded shell of an impact resistant plastic, and an adjustable inner liner, permitting one shell size to be worn by a plurality of wearers.
The shape of the helmet shell may vary depending upon the nature of the work being performed by the wearer. Generally, safety helmet shells include a crown portion with a continuous lower edge, and an integral continuous brim that extends outwardly from the lower edge of the crown. The brim may be of a uniform width, or a portion of the brim, e.g., the front and/or rear of the brim can be elongated to provide additional protection. The construction and characteristics of safety helmets are defined by the American National Standards Institute, which sets forth various mandatory requirements. For example, the current standards ANSI Z89.1-1997, incorporated herein by reference, require that no mounting holes can be used above the static test line, which is a test line used as a boundary for conducting electrical insulation and flammability tests.
Various accessories may be attached to safety helmets to increase their utility. For example, many safety helmets include integrally molded attachment brackets at the sides of the helmet for attachment of protective ear covering. These brackets have also been used to attach a battery-powered light that points toward the front of the helmet for use by the wearer in seeing to the front. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,658,065 to Jamieson. Other specially designed battery-powered lamps or lights have been attached to the sides of a safety helmet with mounting brackets, with the lamps being adapted to swivel 360xc2x0. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,831 to Thayer.
However, there remains a need for a safety helmet that includes a battery-powered light that is specifically designed to be seen from the rear of the helmet by individuals other than the wearer.
Unlike prior art designs, the present invention relates to a safety helmet that includes a detachable battery-powered light that is mounted on the rear of the safety helmet. This configuration is specifically adapted to alert others to the presence of the wearer, so that the wearer will not be endangered by activities being conducted by others behind the wearer. In addition, the rear-mounted light serves as a location beacon in the event that the wearer is disabled in a darkened or smoke-filled area and in need of rescue.
Specifically, the present invention is comprised of a safety helmet that includes a molded shell adapted to fit over a user""s head, a light attachment bracket on the rear section of the shell; and a battery-powered light that includes an attachment clip adapted for releasable attachment to the light attachment bracket.
More specifically, the safety helmet is comprised of a molded head covering or shell that includes a crown portion to fit over the upper part of the user""s head, and a brim that extends outwardly from the lower edge of the crown section. The brim can extend partially or entirely around the crown, and can be of uniform width around the helmet, or the front and/or rear section of the brim can be elongated. The helmet will normally also include an adjustable liner that includes a headband to fit around the user""s head and one or more top bands to fit over the user""s head, with the ends of the top bands being attached to the headband. An adjustment gear is connected to the headband so that the circumference of the headband can be adjusted.
Two types of mounting brackets are contemplated by the present invention. The bracket may be an attachable bracket that can be attached to the rear section of an existing safety helmet. Alternatively, the bracket can be integrally molded as part of the helmet shell. The attachable mounting bracket may include a first section for use in releasibly attaching a battery-powered light, and a second section for attaching the bracket to the helmet shell outer surface. For example, the bracket may comprise a center clip engaging section with mounting plates on either side of the clip engaging section to secure the clip to the helmet. The clip engaging section is spaced from the shell when the mounting plates are attached to said shell by intermediate spacers extending inwardly from the clip engaging section to the mounting plates. An adhesive, such as double-sided adhesive tape, may be used to attach the mounting plates to the helmet shell. The center clip engaging section is preferably horizontally aligned with parallel, horizontal upper and lower edges.
The alternative integrally molded bracket will also include a clip attachment section that is spaced from the rear of the helmet, and spacers that extend from the attachment section to the rear of the helmet, with the outer and inner ends of the spacers being integrally formed with the attachment section and the rear of the helmet shell, respectively. In addition, the lower edges of the bracket spacers can be integrally molded with the rear of the shell brim.
The battery-powered lights forming a part of the invention are commercially available, and do not per se form a part of the invention. The major components of these lights are a housing, a light emitter, a multi-position control switch, and circuitry to connect the battery, emitter and switch.
The housing includes a transparent front section and an opaque rear section that are joined together to form an interior cavity. The transparent front section is preferably molded of a colored, e.g., orange or red, transparent plastic, that may be shaped to increase light visibility. An attachment clip extends from the rear section. The clip includes a flexible elongated arm that is attached at its top end to the rear section with a spacer. The unattached bottom end of the clip arm includes an inwardly extending locking projection or tang to secure the light to the attachment clip when the arm is inserted onto the bracket and the arm is in an unflexed state. The housing is preferably rectangular. However, other housing shapes, such as round or triangular housings, are also contemplated by the present invention.
The light emitter is preferably one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) to achieve the maximum light emission with minimum battery drain, thereby prolonging the use of the light between battery replacements. The circuit connecting the light emitter or emitters and the battery may include a flasher circuit of known configuration to determine whether current is provided to the light emitter in a continuous or discontinuous manner, so that the emitter will display continuously, or in a strobe-like manner. A multi-position switch, such as a pushbutton switch, controls the flow of current through the circuit and is used to select between continuous and discontinuous emission.
When the safety helmet is to be worn under low-light conditions, the wearer simply clips the light to the rear of the helmet by inserting the flexible clip arm between the clip attachment section of the bracket and the rear of the helmet, pushing the attachment arm downward until the inwardly extending locking projection is beneath the lower edge of the clip attachment section, thereby securing the light to the helmet. Before entering the low-light area, the wearer turns the multi-position switch to one of the closed positions, so that the light either shines continuously or intermittently, as desired. As a result, when wearing the illuminated helmet, others can easily see the wearer from the rear of the wearer.